RESCUE AND EVACUATION - Medicine for Mountaineering and Other Wilderness Activities - page 90

Individuals should crouch while approaching or leaving the helicopter and should carry
anyobjectshorizontallybelowwaistlevel.Onsomehelicopterstheendsoftherotorblades
may be as little as 5 feet (1.5 m) above level ground. Chinook helicopters have rear doors.
Crew members assist with approaching and leaving these helicopters because the tail rotor
is so close.
Other safety rules for approaching or leaving a helicopter include removing hats, hold-
ing on to loose objects, and never reaching up or running after a loose object that is blown
away. A person blinded by dust should crouch lower or, ideally, sit down and await help.
Individuals boarding a helicopter should place their gear inside first and then board,
movingoverifotherpassengersaregoingtoboard.Thepilotoracrewmembershouldgive
instructionsaboutwheretoputgear,wheretosit,andhowtoputonseatbeltsandshoulder
harnesses. Any changes in location of passengers or gear may affect the helicopter's center
of gravity and must be cleared with the pilot or other crew member in advance.
On occasion, boarding or exiting a helicopter while it is hovering just above ground or
on one skid may be necessary. Since the pilot must compensate for any weight shifts or
changes, all movements into and on the helicopter must be done slowly and as gently as
possible.Passengersshouldgentlyplacepacksandotherequipmentonboardbeforeboard-
ing and when leaving should gently place (or occasionally drop) the pack and any other
baggage on the ground. Sometimes a short jump to the ground is necessary, in which case
communication with the pilot is essential. Rappeling out of a helicopter is potentially dan-
gerous and must only be done by those with special training and only when no other meth-
od of reaching the ground is feasible.
If an injured person is on a litter, the method of loading depends on the type of heli-
copter. In small helicopters, the litter may fit only longitudinally next to the pilot or in an-
other specified configuration.
Some helicopters have external baskets; loads must be secured in these by the crew.
A load not placed inside the helicopter is referred to as an external load. In rescue work,
ropes or cables may be used to carry a load below the helicopter or to hoist a load into
or out of a helicopter. People or gear can be attached to a line underneath the helicopter
and flown from one location to another in that position, which is referred to as “long-line”
or—confusingly—“short haul” operation. For gear, often placed in a net, such transport is
often termed “sling loading.” Long-line operations differ from winch or hoist operations in
which the external load is lowered from or raised into the helicopter by a winch. Members
of expeditions who are not trained for long-line or hoist operations should await instruc-
tion from a helicopter or ground crew member. A load hanging from a helicopter should
never be touched until it has contacted the ground and discharged the often considerable
staticelectricitybuiltupinflight.Loadshangingfromhelicoptersmustbeapproachedcau-
tiously because they can swing from side to side or spin unexpectedly and injure those on
the ground. Some helicopters with suitably trained crew may be able to pick injured or